A conflict of interest often arises out of the fact that a mission of the University is to promote public good by fostering the transfer of knowledge gained through university research and scholarship to the private sector. Such a conflict is not inherently bad, but does require transparency and possible management to maintain the integrity of the research.

Review the 6 basic steps depicting the University of Houston's Financial Conflict of Interest process by clicking each step on the left side of the page.

Occasionally, situations arise where an investigator may have an outside financial interest that could conflict or be perceived to conflict with his or her research conducted on behalf of the University of Houston. To address these situations and to comply with federal regulations and sponsor requirements, the University has adopted a policy regarding financial conflicts of interest. The cornerstone of this policy involves annual conflict of interest certification, disclosure of such interests when they reach regulatory thresholds, the appropriate updating of these certifications, and managing these conflicts in a way that ensures that the integrity of the research remains intact.

Please note that these are specific to the Division of Research (DOR) Conflict of Interest requirements for investigators and do not replace the disclosures required under SAM 02.A.08 (Consulting and Paid Professional Service) and the UH System Conflict of Interest Policy (SAM 02.A.09).